Confusing UX for next/prev Dandiset feature
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- Dominant language
- Python
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Description
**Problem**
The Next and Previous buttons at the top right of the DLP (next to the searchbar) navigate through datasets based on the user's most recent search. However, this behavior lacks clear context, leading to confusion:
- Do users know what dataset they’ll be taken to next?
- There's no visible indication that navigation is tied to the search results
- Currently the search term stays in the search bar, which is good, but not enough.
- If a user forgets what is in the results of their search, the navigation feels arbitrary or even broken.
**UX Issues**
This setup currently violates several UX principles:
- User Control and Freedom: Users can't easily understand or escape the unintended jump to a potentially unrelated dataset.
- Recognition Over Recall: Users must remember the criteria of their search to make sense of navigation.
- Consistency and Standards: It’s unclear whether navigation is based on search results, chronological order, or something else—leading to a perceived unpredictability.
**Suggested Feature**
Update the Next/Previous dataset navigation to be explicitly contextual:
- Option 1: Display a tooltip, label, or "quick glance" panel/overlay when hovering the buttons that includes:
- The title of the next/previous dataset
- Position in search (e.g., “3 of 15 results”)
- Key metadata (author, year, etc.)
- Option 2: connect the next/prev buttons with a collapsible panel that includes:
- The same position in search feature mentioned in option 1
- a simplified version of the search results, showing your position in the list for context
- This is important to be able to go back to the results without losing your place on a DLP
- It would also give you the ability to jump to Dandisets of your choice without having to go back first
**Benefits**
- Clearer expectations → better trust in navigation
- Reduced cognitive load
- Navigation feels purposeful, not random
- Improved consistency and user flow
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I would be happy to put together mockups of the feature(s) I'm describing, or discuss potential other solutions based on your knowledge of DANDI users and their needs and expectations.
Contributor guide
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First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
No files or tests are identified in the issue. Start by reviewing the DLP's existing Next and Previous buttons and their relationship to the search bar and results; clarify whether a tooltip, quick-glance panel, or collapsible results panel is preferred, then define the contextual information and return-to-results behavior that count as done.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Domain
- design, frontend
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 5/5
- Estimated time
- Over a week
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Needs clarification
- Newbie friendliness
- 35/100